FREE STUFF

CONTACT

French Verb POUVOIR: to be able to, can

7 Things to Know about POUVOIR

French Verb POUVOIR means to be able to.

To remember this imagine that you are ABLE to send signals with PUFFS from a FIRE

POUVOIR is a MODAL verb. These are powerful verbs, after which you can put almost any infinitive of any verb giving you a powerful phrase. For example I can is je peux. After this phrase you can add any infinitive to make a powerful phrase. So, if we add the verb courir (to run) we getje peux + courir = je peux courir - I can run.je peux + manger = je peux manger - I can eat.tu peut + dormir = tu peut dormir - you can sleep.nous pourrons + aller = nous pourrons aller - we will be able to go.... etc.
So every verb you learn can be added to a phrase using one of the pouvoir conjugations.

Take a couple of minutes to read aloud ALL the verb conjugations of pouvoir below - by (1) ROW and by (2) by COLUMN ... then check out more on this word below the verb table.

to be able to: pouvoirImagine you are ABLE to send signals with PUFFS from a FIRE.

www.200words-a-day.com VERB CONJUGATION TABLE POUVOIR

Simple Tenses pouvoir

TENSE

je/j’

tu

il

nous

vous

ils

PresentPrésentam / is / are able to

peux

peux

peut

pouvons

pouvez

peuvent

Past ImperfectImparfaitwas / were able to

pouvais

pouvais

pouvait

pouvions

pouviez

pouvaient

Simple PastPassé Simplewas / were able to

pus

pus

put

pûmes

pûtes

purent

FutureFuturwill be able to

pourrai

pourras

pourra

pourrons

pourrez

pourront

ConditionalConditionnelwould be able to

pourrais

pourrais

pourrait

pourrions

pourriez

pourraient

SubjunctiveSubjonctifmay be able to

puisse

puisses

puisse

puissions

puissiez

puissent

Compound Tenses pouvoir - past participle: pu

Present PerfectPassé Composéhave been able to

ai pu

as pu

a pu

avons pu

avez pu

ont pu

Past PerfectPlus-que-Parfaithad been able to

avais pu

avais pu

avait pu

avions pu

aviez pu

avaient pu

Future PerfectFutur Antérieurwill have been able to

aurai pu

auras pu

aura pu

aurons pu

aurez pu

auront pu

Conditional PerfectConditionnel Passéwould have been able to

aurais pu

aurais pu

aurait pu

aurions pu

auriez pu

auraient pu

ImperativeImperatifbe able to!

FRENCH VERB POUVOIR

The French verb pouvoir means to be able to:Je peux me le permettre.
I can afford it.Je peux courir 5 km sans m’arrêter.
I can run 3 miles without a break.Je n’en peux plus ! Il faut que j’aille me coucher.
I’ve had it! I have to go to bed.Je ne peux pas le croire !
I can’t believe it!

The French verb pouvoir can also mean to be allowed to:Tu ne peux pas faire ça, c’est interdit !You can’t do that, it’s forbidden!Depuis 2006, on ne peut plus fumer dans les restaurants en France.
Since 2006 in France, one can no longer smoke in restaurants.

Pouvoir can also be used as an impersonal verb:Il se peut que tu aies raison.
You may be right.Relis-toi encore une fois, il peut y avoir des fautes.
Read it again, there might be mistakes left.

Pouvoir can also be used as a noun:Batman est le seul super-héros qui n’ait pas de pouvoirs.
Batman is the only superhero without any powers.Les français se battent pour leur pouvoir d’achat.
French people are fighting for their purchasing power.

LEARNING TO CONJUGATE POUVOIR FRENCH FOR ABLE TO, CAN

The French verb for see pouvoir is an irregular verb from the 3rd group.

POUVOIR is a MODAL verb. After any conjugation of POUVOIR you can put any infinitive to make a useful phrase. This tool opens up thousands of new phrases.

Learn to conjugate the important verb pouvoir by reciting verb table above along the rows, then down the columns.

Watch and listen to the pouvoir video and listen to the conjugations of POUVOIR read aloud by Allison, a native French speaker.

Repeating these verb tables of POUVOIR aloud 10 times throughout the day from memory, or while reading the verb tables and with the video or sound recording, will better embed the patterns into your subconscious, and your long term memory.

Reciting aloud is a great way for you to practice your pronunciation, and helps you to memorize the conjugations. Ensure that you do some from memory.

You can do these verb tables any time you have a spare few minutes. In the train, car, bus, or while having a bath or a scrub in the shower, while waiting for that doctor's appointment.

To really consolidate the verb learning of pouvoir, and any other French verbs, download and fill in the blanks of the worksheet fill-in-the-blank verb tables. This is one of the most POWERFUL weapons to have in your verb arsenal, and great for helping you learn the French verb POUVOIR.

More Verbs like the French for be able to - pouvoir

Subscribe NOW to the FREE email Learn French Newsletter

Before you go, be sure to SUBSCRIBE NOW to get your FREE email Learn French Newsletter below. Every week you will get a selection of French Learning material and a verb of the week, cartoon Memory Trigger and items of interest to the student of French: